Wirt x Reader - Remember Me?

Passing Through, and The Mill

    You had been walking with Wirt for nearly an hour when the sign came into view. It was quite simple in design, merely a wooden board in the shape of an arrow pointing ahead. The name Pottsfield was printed in large black letters in the center of the sign. Within five minutes the town came into view.
    It was quite archaic, as was everything around here. But you were still caught off guard by the almost colonial appearance of the houses. They were all white and rather quaint, with a few barns near some of them. It appeared to be a village straight out of early, early New England, or the South in later times. The dirt road that you’d been following since the tavern went straight through the center of the town, appearing to serve as a type of main street, minus the street. Wirt lead the way, looking back at you with a hesitant look. “Hey, (y/n). This town is… Well, the people…”
    “Yeah?” You said, looking away from the pumpkin fields that laid on either side of the road.
    “Well… Just don’t let them intimidate you. They may look kind of scary, but they’re actually really nice.” Wirt promised as the two of you neared the town. You gazed at the rows of buildings and noticed that it was rather quiet. Your walk slowed until the both of you stopped almost in the center of town.
    “Where.. Is everyone?” You asked in confusion.
    Wirt appeared thoughtful as he stared at a barn a small distance away. It was rather large, and painted a vivid carmine that was akin to, not a Spanish, but rather a Southern Italian tomato. The huge double doors were wide open, revealing the barren interior. “It’s too soon for the festival.” He murmured.
     You shot him a bewildered look. “Festival?”
     “Yeah, they celebrate the harvest by putting on vegetable costumes.” Wirt said rather matter-of-factly as he continued to think. Then his face lifted as he realized the answer. “Oh! They’re probably all still out in the fields! The harvest isn’t over yet.”
      As soon as the words left his mouth a peculiar sound came from nearby. The noise could only be described as wooden wheels turning, and you quickly looked in the direction from where it came. A cart came from around the corner, carrying a large load of pumpkins. It was extremely difficult to accept what you saw as reality.
    You’ve seen a few strange things since you’ve come to Bendle Park. An early American tavern with people who went by their job titles. A path laden with marks from horse-drawn carriages. A school that teaches young animals how to count and spell. But none of them were as strange as this.
     Two giant turkeys were pulling the cart, atop which sat a black cat. The birds were reined as if they were horses, and seemed to have no problem obeying the feline’s guidance. The cat pulled on the reins to bring the turkeys to a halt. It stared at the two of you with an expression of surprise.
     Wirt gazed at the cat for a few moments, clearly confused. It appeared that he didn’t know the animal, which was a first. You just kind of assumed that Wirt knew everything about this place, considering how he seemed to be an expert on where to go.
     “So, you’ve decided to come back.” The cat spoke with a surprisingly deep voice. It was startling to say the least. His voice was deep enough to be completely surreal for a human to own, much less a cat.
     Wirt relaxed, seeming to recognize it. “Oh, it’s you! I didn’t recognize you outside of…”
     The cat simply nodded in understanding. “It’s nice to see you again. I trust that this time you haven’t murdered anyone?”
     This was getting really weird really quickly. But Wirt only chuckled, if a bit nervously. “I haven’t, I promise.”
    “Good, good.” The cat said as it gazed at him with bright yellow eyes. “So, have you and your lady friend finally come to stay in Pottsfield?”
     Both you and Wirt blushed immensely. Wirt attempted to speak, but failed at first. “Sh-she’s not m-my…” He sighed and took a moment to regain his composure. “No, we’re just passing through again.”
     The cat stared at the two of you for a few long moments before shrugging. “Oh well. You’ll join us someday.” He gently spurred the turkeys, who set off once more at a trot. “Don’t go committing any murder!” He called back.
    You gazed at Wirt as the blush died down on your cheeks. “Murder?”
    “It’s an.. Inside joke.” Wirt explained as he continued to walk. “It’s not important; let’s just get through town and go to the Woodsman’s place.”
    You shrugged and walked along with him, getting through the town rather quickly. Crop fields surrounded the town, in which skeletons were working. Yes, skeletons were harvesting crops. You stared at them in near disbelief as they worked.
     “Oh.” Wirt said as he turned and waved at a few who had noticed the two of you. The skeletons waved in return and continued their work, just as merry as could be. Wirt glanced back to you and said, “Those are the townspeople.”
     His previous statement suddenly made sense. They looked scary, but they were nice. Wow, this place was really, really weird. You suddenly wanted to talk to the Woodsman; assuming he knew the way out of this place. You waved to the skeletons as well before continuing down the same path you’d been following since the tavern.
     The path narrowed to a trail after leaving Pottsfield. Soft grass and brown leaves replaced the dirt that had previously marked the way. Wirt sighed and said, “It’s just a straight walk there now. Might take a while, though.”
    You were okay with that. Something about Wirt just put you at ease. His presence was reassuring, as it reminded you that you weren’t going through this alone. He was also one of those people that you could go on in comfortable silence with. It was rare to find someone like that. Most of the time silence was painfully awkward when you were alone with someone else. But with Wirt, it was easy. You didn’t need words. Both of you knew where you were going, and what you had to do. It was sublime.
    Hours passed, and evening came. As you progressed the scenery began to change. The forest was different here; more menacing. The branches overhead grew thicker and more numerous, blocking out the majority of the sunlight and giving way to shadows. The chirping of birds that had previously accompanied you faded away, making the sound of your own footsteps unbearably loud.
    Wirt grew clearly disconcerted. He became jumpy again, looking over his shoulder at the sounds of mere forest animals. He picked up the pace, as did you. It was rather strange to see such a drastic turn of nature, and you were reminded of the near panic the two of you faced upon first getting lost a night ago.
    Wirt lit up at the sound of rushing water ahead. He was now walking so quickly that he might as well have been jogging. You followed as always, wondering if the Woodsman’s house was nearby. As it turned out, it was closer than you expected.
    The two of you reached the river, which was unexpectedly cold. There were many large stepping stones that would aid you in crossing it. Across the stream laid a building that resembled a mill, which you assumed was the Woodsman’s place. You were about to step onto the first stone when you noticed Wirt. His face was completely devoid of color. His eyes were wide with terror, and he appeared close to fainting.
    “Wirt? What’s wrong?” You questioned, growing concerned.
    Wirt didn’t respond, only gazed at the rushing waters of the river. You raised a brow, looking down at it as well. There didn’t appear to be anything off about it. Sure, the current was kind of strong and it looked pretty deep, but other than that there really was no reason to be afraid. You reached a hand out to him and said, “Hey, you’re okay. I’m not going to let you fall.” Someone had to wear the pants in this situation.
    Wirt hesitated before taking your hand. He stepped onto the stone that you were on, shivering as he did. You walked onto the next one, and so did he. You crossed the river in this manner, guiding him from rock to rock until the two of you were safe on the other side. Once on solid ground, Wirt sighed in relief. He paused to gain his composure before looking up at you. “Sorry about that. It’s just…” It looked like he wanted to say something, but he refrained from it and changed the subject quickly. “Hey, we’re here now.”
    Wirt walked up to the door of the house and paused, staring at it for a few moments. Leaden silence fell between the two of you, the sound of the river now quiet in the background. Then after an eternity of hesitation, Wirt lifted one hand and knocked on the door.
     One could hear shuffling from inside the house. When the door opened a few seconds later, a girl stood on the other side. Her hair was red and pulled back into a bun and laced with blue beads. She had freckles, and wore a blue dress that matched her beads. She stared at Wirt with an expression of shock before saying, “Dear god, you came back.”